Emmanuel Mudiay denied reports he might leave China before their season ends in order to boost his NBA stock.
“This is all rumors, it’s completely false,” Mudiay told reporters in China, according to this report which was translated. “The media are the ones that like to come out with these things, but it’s not the reality.”
Asked if he would play the full season, the 6-foot-5 Mudiay said: ” I will, without question. Right now I’m playing in Guangdong, and will definitely be with the team until the end, through the end of the season.”
NBA.com recently quoted unnamed NBA sources who said Mudiay could opt to leave China early to keep his draft stock high if he’s playing well there. That would keep an aura of mystique around him similar to what surrounded Australian guard Dante Exum last year.
“I could see, if his stock is raised, him saying, ‘I’m checking out,'” one NBA GM told NBA.com. “I could see that. Does he do it? I don’t know. But look what happened with [Dante] Exum last year. It didn’t really hurt him, did it? There’s an argument to be made that [Mudiay] doesn’t have to do anything.”
Mudiay went for just 6 points (3-8 FG), 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 22 minutes Friday when Guangdong won at Shanxi.
Mudiay signed a $1.2 million deal in China instead of attending SMU, and now SMU coach Larry Brown said he’s concerned it will set a trend for other American college players.
Mudiay is projected as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, setting up the opportunity for teams like the Philadelphia 76ers to “Cede the Day for Mudiay” by tanking.
